Cowboy Couture Takes Over Fort Worth at Fashion Week Stockyards Style

Milan may have its runways and Paris its couture, but Fort Worth has its own claim to fashion fame as the Western Fashion Capital of the World. The fifth annual Fashion Week Stockyards Style drew large crowds to the Exchange Lawn near the Cowtown Coliseum, where a large tent kept the runway models dry during intermittent rain that Saturday.

Emcee Kirbe Schnoor kicked off the runway show as the tightly packed crowd of around 350 cheered on the first models donning boots, silhouettes, and accessories from Western retailers based in the Stockyards. As Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” played overhead, Lucchese opened with wide-leg denim, a crisp white shirt, and a dark embroidered jacket topped by a broad-brimmed cowboy hat.

The three-day event opened with a Western fashion panel on Friday, followed by trunk shows and sip-and-shop events, with Saturday’s runway show serving as the marquee event. Throughout the weekend, members of Cowgirl Artists of America set up easels in Stockyards retail stores and created original works as part of a live art competition.

Veteran fashion show producer and stylist Susan Huston marked her third year organizing the runway show. After the show, she told us the business owners in the Stockyards are some of the “nicest and most supportive” she has ever met. This year, we carved out time for both the runway show and Friday’s panel, which featured some truly legendary forces in Western fashion and culture!

Tucker Brown’s Legends of the West Fashion Panel

The upper floor of Provender Hall was a champagne-fueled gathering on Friday morning, when several top names in Western fashion came together to discuss the past and future of their industry. The first panel was led by founder of his namesake women’s Western-inspired fashion store Tucker Brown, Best Hat Store owner Susan Maddox, and Double D Ranch co-founder Cheryl McMullen. Replying to the first prompt questioning whether Western fashion is a trend, McMullen said she sees it more as a lifestyle, going on to recount the early days of her business that she never expected to grow into an iconic fashion brand.

Brown quipped that he will one day ask God why he was created as a “California beach bum and sent to West Texas” to eventually see his store move to the Stockyards, adding that now he loves the twice-daily cattle drives along East Exchange Avenue and even knows each steer by name. Maddox said she’s been blessed to have a store that draws both ranchers and first-time cowboy hat buyers.

“When they look in that mirror, feel it in their heart, and feel confidence, we say, ‘Welcome to the club,’ ” she continued. “I wear a hat and boots, but I don’t wear Western, per se. Now, my closet was full of Double D in the 80s and 90s, and my girls are very upset that I didn’t hang onto those pieces. Everyone has their ‘Western’ style, and it should be based on what feels true to them.”

After a champagne break, Susan’s daughter Mercedes Maddox Bloomer, Mamie Brown (Tucker’s daughter who now owns his store), Double D Ranch’s Mitchell Franz, and jeweler Shannon Lowery took the lead on the second panel group dubbed “The Next Generation.”

Bloomer opened by recounting her unexpected return to run her mother’s retail store and hat manufacturing company. After moving to New York City to pursue a career in finance and accounting, she returned home for a surprise birthday visit with her mother just as the pandemic began. That led to an extended stay at home and a reexamination of where she wanted to be, adding that she’s now learning all of the “facets” of running the family’s store.

Describing his celeb-loved turquoise company, Lowery said his love of turquoise grew from childhood visits to North Carolina where his grandmother bought turquoise jewelry from members of the Lumbee tribe, of which he is a member. After moving to Texas, he learned that he was better at crafting custom jewelry than competing in roping. Franz closed by describing the challenges that come with marketing a legacy brand.

“Just because we’ve done something for 38 years doesn’t mean it’s the right way,” he says. “Social media ‘likes’ are feedback, but purchases are behavior. I’m more interested in behavior.”

Stylist Betsy Beaman capped off the morning by taking seven pieces to assemble 30-plus outfits featuring clothing and accessories from Tucker Brown, Double D Ranch, and Best Hat Store.

Fashion Week’s Big Winners and a Look Ahead to 2027

Following Saturday’s runway show, the Tucker Brown space closed early to host a private party for Fashion Week organizers and special guests. After a strawberry-kissed vodka cocktail, we caught up with Mamie Brown, who said Fashion Week brings attention to the Stockyards by celebrating the district as the place where things are happening in Western fashion.

“We can’t forget where we come from,” she says. “Cowboys helped build this country. Fort Worth needs to own that conversation or be in that room when we’re talking about Western fashion. We haven’t been in Fort Worth for 40 years, but we’ve been in Texas that long. Fort Worth is becoming more and more of the epicenter of Western culture, fashion, and that cowboy lifestyle. All of that ties into what we are doing in the Stockyards.”

Dena Newell, director of marketing and tourism at the Stockyards, tells us that this was the largest and best-attended Fashion Week yet.

“We’re proud of what we’ve created this year and years past, and we’re already thinking about how we can make Fashion Week Stockyards Style even bigger and better,” Newell continues. “The goal is to continue putting Fort Worth and the Stockyards on the map as a destination for Western fashion, creativity, and culture.”

Next year’s Fashion Week Stockyards Style is scheduled for October 8 through 10. Brown says the annual fashion week is a reminder of why her family chose Mule Alley for their store’s home.

“When we moved our store to the Stockyards, I knew something big was going to happen,” Mamie Brown says. “Yellowstone was big, and people were looking for land to grow their own food and find an escape from the pandemic. All of that was creating a new lifestyle for people. Five years later, we are so grateful to be part of the Stockyards and what they are doing.”

Saturday’s private party was a festive end to two days of packed events, as the celebratory chatter drowned out the patter of rain outside.